Mr. Williams was long considered a leading candidate to replace Tim Cook as the company’s next chief executive.

Jeff Williams, Apple’s chief operating officer, is stepping down from his role later this month, as announced by the company on Tuesday. Sabih Khan, who currently serves as the senior vice president of operations, has been appointed as the new COO.

Apple has announced that Sabih Khan, the company’s vice president of operations, will take over for Jeff Williams as chief operating officer later this month. In an announcement on Tuesday, Apple said the move is part of a “long-planned succession” that has Williams retiring at the end of this year.